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ent Brisbane

The Wurlitzer Organ, and its Music-
Making Personalities.
The Brisbane Regent was the last
cinema in Australia to acquire a new
WurliTzer organ from the WurliTzer
company of North Tonanwanda, New
York. Shipped on 11 March, 1929, it
arrived in Brisbane on 17 September.
Such was the excitement about its
acquisition for the city that the
Brisbane Mail plastered photos of its
arrival on its convoy of delivery trucks.
Although the introduction of talkies
immediately supplanted the original
purpose of theatre pipe organs (as a
sound-effects machine), their versatility
and richness of tone ensured their
survival for decades.
This organ came with some unusual
features; a grand piano attachment and
giant 10m (33ft) base pipes installed in
the roof. The console, mounted on a
hoist, utilised three keyboards operating
some 15 ranks of pipes in two
chambers, one each side of the
proscenium.
The WurliTzer was integral to the
orchestral and stage prologues. Stanley
Wallace concluded his engagement on
8 January 1930; Eddie Fitch from the
Plaza Melbourne became house
organist the following day. Next came
Eddie Ford, another American, in April
of 1930. The last organist from the
USA was Wallace Kotter who came to
Brisbane in December of 1930, after
engagements at the Regent theatre’s in
Sydney and Adelaide. Occasionally
Kotter and Brisbane’s local lass, Ellie
Jones, organist at the Wintergarden,
performed duets.
Leslie Richmond, who travelled up
from Melbourne to play piano in the
orchestra on opening night, was
appointed house organist in 1932. Les
Richmond had played for many a silent
feature in Melbourne's suburban and
city theatres in the early 1920s. Les
also toured India and the United States.
of Stars - Stars of the Screen, Music and the Stage - you will truly know the new entertainment
arts can give; you will acknowledge the Regent's triumph. Publicity statement 1929.
tion of CinemaScope in 1953. Hoyts Archives.

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